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Bulldogs up record to 13-0 with 10-0, 5-inning rout of Lake Central and 16-2 pounding of Highland |
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A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 5-01-2007 |
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Bulldogs up record to 13-0 with 10-0, 5-inning rout of Lake Central and 16-2 pounding of Highland |
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A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 5-01-2007 |
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| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| LAKE CENTRAL (7-4, 4-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| CROWN POINT (13-0, 7-0) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | - | - | 10 | 7 | 2 |
Monday, 4-30-2007 - 78 degrees, Duneland Athletic Conference in CROWN POINT, IN
WP - Matt Ernest (3-0), CG, 3K, 2 walks
LP - Matt Murphy (2-2), 5K, 3 walks (4 1/2 inn.)
LAKE CENTRAL (7-4, 4-4 DAC)
Roger Sammon (SS) Single, walk
CROWN POINT (13-0, 7-0 DAC)
Jon Sertich (CF) Single, 2 walks, RBI, 3 runs scored
Tim Mummery (2B) 2 singles, Sac. Fly, 3 RBIs
Chris Saroff (SS) Single, walk, RBI
Vince Dawson (DH) Single, RBI
Blake Mascarello (1B) Single, run scored
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| HIGHLAND (8-5) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| CROWN POINT (11-0) | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 16 | 1 |
Saturday,
4-28-2007
- 71 degrees, non-conference game at CROWN POINT, IN
WP - Chris Saroff (4-0), 0K, 0 walks (3 innings)
Eric Clayton (CP) 3K, 0 walks (2 innings)
LP - Doug Fritz (1-2) 0K, 1 walk, 6 runs (0 innings)
HIGHLAND
Matt Bugjaski (CF) 3 singles, run scored
CROWN POINT (11-0)
Jon Sertich (CF) Triple, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored
Chris Saroff (SS) HR, Triple, 3 RBIs
Mike Kozlowski (OF) 3 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored
Tommy Parks (OF) Triple, RBI
CROWN
POINT
(4-30-2007)
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It was actually too easy. The second Crown Point-Lake Central game of the
2007 season was not what all had hoped for on a 78-degree Northwest Indiana
April day and it was hard to understand.
"We did not compete," said Lake Central coach Todd Iwema after his young squad got blanked 10-0 in five innings by the undefeated Bulldogs. "There's nothing else to say. I have no idea why. I have never had a team just not play. They just didn't compete. I don't know why."
It's true. Class 4A No. 2 Crown Point (13-0), a senior-laden, two-time defending sectional champ, has one of the finest teams in the state. But Lake Central committed seven errors, had two boys picked off base and make several other undocumented blunders in an embarrassing two hours. Normally, this isn't even the type of game that the winning team would want.
The Bulldogs reached the half way mark of the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) season with a 7-0 record and, in this situation, they got exactly what they wanted. Having only to play five innings could be a positive as CP was set for three games in three days and six games this week. Senior right-hander Matt Ernest (3-0) blanked LC on just four hits and he'd be capable of coming back Saturday in the Plymouth Invitational against 4A No. 3 Carroll (13-1) in what could be a showdown game for the state 's top ranking, if that is the coaching staff's choice.
"I don't know what we'll do there" said Bulldogs coach Steve Strayer. "We'll have Chris Saroff pitch Wednesday and Blake (Mascarello) will pitch Friday. Then, we'll see what we do Saturday."
This is by far the toughest week of the regular season for CP. They face rivals LC and Valparaiso plus a rainout game with Portage. CP travels to a play a very strong Chesterton team Friday and they'll then get Carroll (13-1) and either Penn (7-3) or Plymouth (5-7) Saturday. But the Bulldogs' biggest strength is starting pitching depth. No matter how many games they have backed up, they never have to put a bad pitcher on the mound.
After playing twice Saturday, and with single games Tuesday and Wednesday, CP still had tall right-hander Matt Ernest ready for LC Monday and the Indians could collect just four singles. CP leadoff man Jon Sertich set the tone for the game when he singled to right field against LC starting pitcher Matt Murphy (2-1). When right fielder John Lecea didn't charge the ball hard, Sertich rounded first and headed for second base. Lecea's throw got away and Sertich slid into third with nobody out. Tim Mummery's one out single made it 1-0.
In the second inning, Mike Kozlowski's lead off ground ball got through LC first baseman Eric Summers. Joe Patrick then hit a soft bouncing ball back to Murphy who threw the ball wide of second base for another error. After Sertich walked and Ernest struck out, Mummery's sacrifice fly ball made it 2-0, a balk by Murphy made it 3-0 and Chris Saroff's run-scoring hit upped the lead to 4-0 after two innings.
"We gave them the run in the first inning," said Iwema, who starts five sophomores. "You can look at it (inexperience) that way. But we came out tonight and absolutely laid an egg. Matt (Murphy) pitched a great game. They would have had one or two runs. The first guy (Sertich) in the game hits a single to right and we give him third base. They weren't hustle mistakes. We we half-hearted. I didn't like our approach at the plate and I didn't like our dugout atmosphere."
Crown Point led 5-0 in the fifth inning when things got truly ugly. CP's Tommy Parks was safe on an error. Murphy dropped Nick Hladek's pop up, but the Indians got an out at first, avoiding another error. Vince Dawson's RBI single made the score 6-0 and Blake Mascarello slashed a pinch hit single before 6-foot-5 right-hander Danny Manick came into the game as a relief pitcher.
Manick hit Joe Patrick with a pitch and walked Sertich with the bases full. A hard ground ball got past third baseman AJ Doyle, allowing two runs to score to make it 9-0. Mummery's second RBI single created the 10-0 final score and sent everybody home in time for dinner.
"It's a lot different ball game if they didn't give us some run," said Strayer. "It took some pressure off our hitters and took some pressure off our pitcher. That's why we want Jon leading off. He can set the tone... help set the mentality. We know we have some pretty good bats 1-through-9. I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring, but (playing only five innings) does help today. We're going to have to use the entire pitching staff."
Strayer hopes his team can be mature when the first loss finally comes.
"I think they are aware of how many they've won in a row," he said of his players. "I know they don't want (the streak) to end. They remember last year when we finally lost one we lost four in a row. It's going to happen. It's probably going to happen this week. We play so many good teams. But when it happens, we'll deal with it and see where we are. They probably think we should win them all and if they have that mentality, that's great. That's how they should feel."
DOG NOTES: Records are not complete, but this is probably the
first time in school history that Crown Point has won the first 13 games in any
season. Since the start of the baseball state tournament 40 years ago, no
Northwest Indiana team has ever won every baseball game of the regular season.
Boone Grove went 12-0 in 2002 and they finished at 27-5. Merrillville was 12-0
in 1998 and finished at 18-9.
The NW Indiana record for consecutive wins at the start of a season is probably
held by Washington Township which was 25-0 when they lost 5-2 to Wheeler on May
18, 2001. Washington Township finished that season 31-2. LaPorte has won
eight state baseball titles but they have never finished the regular season
undefeated.
CP edged Kankakee Valley 3-2 Saturday night in a makeup game with a two-run rally in the sixth that made a winner out of Blake Mascarello (3-0). Earlier, CP had defeated Highland 16-2.
"The week off killed us," said Iwema. "We were playing well. But then we couldn't play. We scrimmaged our JV because we had a lot of games postponed. But everybody else did, too. We just told them that once we get though with all our extra running (LC players did laps in the outfield after the short game) that it's over. We'll find out a lot about them tomorrow night."
CROWN POINT (13-0, 7-0 DAC)
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